JPH0960949A - Air conditioner and method of starting the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) 【Abstract】 PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To alleviate a feeling of air flow occurring at the start of heating operation and shorten the heating start-up time without deteriorating the features of an indoor unit having a 1-inlet, 2-outlet and 2-fan structure. An air conditioner capable of achieving the above and a method for starting the same. SOLUTION: In an air conditioner comprising an indoor unit 1 having a suction inlet 3, upper / lower outlets 5, 6, and upper / lower fans 17, 18, the upper / lower outlets 5 and 6 are provided. The louvers 7, 9 and 10 that are respectively rotatably provided to change the direction of the blown air flow, and a predetermined period from the time when the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 reaches a predetermined temperature at the start of heating operation. Therefore, the rotation angles of the louvers 9 and 10 provided in the lower outlet 6 to form a short circuit for directly returning a part of the air flow blown out from the lower outlet 6 to the inlet 3. And a start control means for setting.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method for starting the same, and more particularly to indoor air sucked from one inlet through upper and lower outlets using an upper fan and a lower fan. The present invention relates to an air conditioner including a blow-out type indoor unit and a method for starting the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, indoor units of air conditioners are classified into various types according to the structure for sucking / blowing indoor air. Among these types, there is an indoor unit that employs a 1-inlet, 2-outlet, and 2-fan structure. This indoor unit is configured so that the indoor air sucked from one suction port is brought into contact with the heat exchanger and then blown out from the upper outlet and the lower outlet using the upper fan and the lower fan. .

Compared with an indoor unit having only one outlet, this type of indoor unit is easier to control in order to mitigate temperature unevenness in the room, and is configured as a floor-standing type to perform heating operation. It has an advantage that the rise time of the foot temperature can be further shortened.

By the way, during the heating operation, it is required that the rise time at the start of operation is short, but at the same time, in order to form a comfortable indoor space, there is no airflow feeling (draft feeling) and the indoor temperature distribution is almost uniform. Or, it is necessary to satisfy the condition that the temperature at the feet is slightly high.

However, in the conventional air conditioner,
Especially at the start of heating operation, since the temperature of the heat exchanger is low, the flow velocity of the air blown out from the indoor unit tends to be higher than the actual flow velocity, that is, the airflow feeling tends to be strongly felt. It was There is also a problem that the start-up time at the start of heating operation is relatively long. Such a problem was also common to an air conditioner equipped with an indoor unit having a 1-inlet, 2-outlet, and 2-fan structure.

[0006]

As described above, in the conventional air conditioner, especially when the heating operation is started,
There was a problem that there was a tendency to feel a strong sense of airflow and that the rise time was relatively long.

Therefore, the present invention provides an air conditioner and a method of starting the same which can eliminate the above-mentioned problems and can effectively bring out the features of an indoor unit having a 1-inlet, 2-outlet, and 2-fan structure. It is intended to be provided.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, in the invention of claim 1, the suction port for sucking the indoor air and the room air sucked through the suction port are discharged from the suction port. Between the upper outlet and the lower outlet for respectively blowing from the upper position and the lower position, the upper fan provided between the inlet and the upper outlet, and between the inlet and the lower outlet. An indoor unit including a lower fan provided in a heat exchanger and a heat exchanger provided between the suction port, the upper fan, and the lower fan. A louver that is rotatably provided at each of the upper outlet and the lower outlet to change the direction of air flow blown from the upper outlet and the lower outlet, and a heating unit. At the time of starting, a short circuit for directly returning a part of the air flow blown from the lower outlet for a predetermined period from the time when the temperature of the heat exchanger reaches a predetermined temperature to the inlet. And a start control means for setting the rotation angle of the louver provided at the lower outlet to be formed.

The start control means controls the louver provided at the lower outlet at a turning angle forming the short circuit when the temperature of the heat exchanger reaches a first level. When the temperature of the heat exchanger reaches a second level that is higher than the first level, the lower outlet blows to a turning angle that makes the airflow blown from the lower outlet a single flow. Those configured to control the louvers on the mouth are preferred.

In order to achieve the above object, in the invention of claim 3, the suction port for sucking the indoor air, and the room air sucked through the suction port are located above and below the suction port. Upper outlet and lower outlet for ejecting from positions respectively, an upper fan provided between the inlet and the upper outlet, and provided between the inlet and the lower outlet A lower fan, a heat exchanger provided between the suction port and the upper fan and the lower fan, and the upper blower port and the lower blower unit rotatably provided respectively to the upper side. Including a louver that changes the direction of the air flow blown from the outlet and the lower outlet,
At the time of heating operation, when starting an air conditioner comprising an indoor unit in which a refrigerant flows in a path from the lower side to the upper side in the heat exchanger, the rotation angle of the louver provided in the upper outlet is adjusted. When the temperature is set to a predetermined value and the upper fan is started to rotate, and when the temperature of the heat exchanger reaches a predetermined level, a part of the air flow blown out from the lower outlet is directly returned to the inlet. The rotation angle of the louver provided at the lower outlet is set so that a short circuit is formed, and the lower fan is started to rotate.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, in the invention of claim 4, an intake port for intake of room air,
It is provided between the upper outlet and the lower outlet for ejecting the indoor air sucked through the inlet from a position above and below the inlet, and between the inlet and the upper outlet. An upper fan, a lower fan provided between the inlet and the lower outlet, and a heat exchanger provided between the inlet and the upper fan and the lower fan, A louver that is rotatably provided at each of the upper outlet and the lower outlet to change the direction of air flow blown from the upper outlet and the lower outlet. When activating an air conditioner comprising an indoor unit in which a refrigerant flows in the exchanger from the upper side to the lower side, a part of the air flow blown out from the lower outlet is cut off. The rotation angle of the louver provided at the lower outlet is set so as to form a short circuit that directly recirculates to the air inlet, and the lower fan is started to rotate, so that the heat exchanger From the time when the temperature exceeds a predetermined level, the rotation angle of the louver provided at the upper outlet is set to a predetermined value and the upper fan is started to rotate.

[0012] In the air conditioner and the start-up method having the above-mentioned constitution, at the start of the heating operation, a part of the air flow blown out from the lower outlet passes directly through the short circuit and is reheated by the heat exchanger. So in the end,
Air having a sufficiently high temperature can be blown from the lower outlet from the beginning of the heating operation. Therefore, it is possible to mitigate the feeling of airflow that tends to occur when the heating operation is started.

Further, at the start of the heating operation, the temperature of the heat exchanger can be maintained at a high temperature due to the formation of the above-mentioned short circuit. Therefore, when the rotation speed of the upper and lower fans is increased, The falling width can be suppressed, which can also contribute to shortening the start-up time of heating operation.

Further, since the blowing method from the upper side and the lower side is adopted, the warm air blown out from the lower blowout opening rises by the buoyancy during the heating operation by the airflow blown out from the upper blowout opening. It can be suppressed and the temperature at the feet can be raised quickly.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of an indoor unit in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, here an indoor unit 1 formed on a floor.

The indoor unit 1 is provided with a casing 2 which is flat in the front-rear direction, is relatively long in the up-down direction, and has a prismatic outer shape. A suction port 3 for sucking indoor air is formed in a portion of the front wall of the housing 2 excluding a lower portion and an upper portion, and a filter for trapping dust is attached to the suction port 3.

An upper outlet 5 is formed on the upper wall of the housing 2, and a lower outlet 6 is formed on the front wall of the housing 2 below the inlet 3. The upper outlet 5 is provided with a louver 7 for changing the outlet direction and closing the upper outlet 5 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 8 extending in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the drawing. The rotation angle of the louver 7 is controlled by a drive mechanism (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, louvers 9 and 10 for changing the blowing direction and closing the lower blowing port 6 are also provided in the lower blowing port 6 in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface. It is provided so as to be rotatable around the extending shafts 11 and 12 as shown by a broken line in the figure. These louvers 9, 10
The rotation angle is controlled by a drive mechanism (not shown).
The louver 10 is located above the louver 9 and
It is formed in a large area compared to. And louver 10
When the rotation angle is set to an angle that points obliquely upward as shown in FIG. 2, the louver 10 and the lower fan nose 13 may approach the central portion side of the housing 2. Therefore, the guide path 14 is formed so that the width in the vertical direction gradually increases.

On the other hand, a heat exchanger 15 is provided in the housing 2 at a position on the rear surface side of the suction port 3 so as to be vertically divided into two parts, and each of the divided parts 15a and 15b draws an arc. . An upper fan nose 16 is provided near the upper end of the divided portion 15a.
The lower fan nose 13 described above is provided near the lower end of b. Then, the upper fan 17 and the lower fan, which are cross-flow fans, whose axial center lines are oriented in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface, are provided at the positions on the rear side of the divided portions 15a and 15b that constitute the heat exchanger 15 in the housing 2. 18 are provided respectively.

In FIG. 1, reference numerals 19 and 20 denote fan casings. The indoor unit 1 configured as described above is installed on the floor surface of the room (not necessarily on the floor surface), and includes a compressor, a heat exchanger, a switching valve,
It is connected to an outdoor unit (not shown) including an expansion valve via a pipe. The compressor and switching valve in the outdoor unit, the drive mechanism that sets the rotation angle of each louver 7, 9, 10 of the indoor unit 1, the upper fan 17, and the lower fan 18 are controlled by a controller (not shown) according to the operation mode. It is controlled by the relationship described later.

Next, the control operation when the heating operation is performed in the air conditioner configured as described above will be described. When the heating operation mode is selected, the refrigerant flowing in the heat exchanger 15 flows in a path from the lower side to the upper side as shown by the solid arrow 21 in FIG.
There is a case where the refrigerant flows in a path from the upper side to the lower side as shown by a broken line arrow 22, but first, the control operation will be described with reference to FIG. To do.

When the heating operation mode is selected, the switching valve is switched to the heating operation mode. When the operation start command is given, the compressor installed in the outdoor unit is started.
(s1), the refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor flows in the heat exchanger 15 along the path from the lower side to the upper side as indicated by the solid arrow 21 in FIG. In the initial stage of startup, the temperature of the refrigerant gas flowing through the heat exchanger 15 is low but gradually rises.

When the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 exceeds the first level (s2), the louver 7 provided at the upper outlet 5 has a rotation angle with a small draft feeling (for example, a rotation for blowing the airflow directly above). (S3), the upper fan 17 is started to rotate in the direction of the solid line arrow in FIG. 4, and the speed is controlled to gradually increase (s4).

At this time, the louvers 9 and 10 provided in the lower outlet 6 are set to a rotation angle that closes the lower outlet 6, as indicated by the broken line in FIG. When the upper fan 17 starts to rotate, as shown by the solid line A in FIG. 4, a part of the indoor air is sucked in through the suction port 3 and comes into contact with the divided portion 15a of the heat exchanger 15 to raise the temperature and then blow out to the upper side. It is blown out from the mouth 5.

Next, when the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 exceeds the second level (s5), the rotation angle of the louver 7 is set at a position where the air volume of the upper outlet 5 is maximized (s6). Next, when the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 exceeds the third level (s7), the rotation angles of the louvers 9 and 10 provided in the lower outlet 6 are exactly the angles shown in FIG. 2 (a short circuit is formed). Is set (s8), and the lower fan 18 is started to rotate in the direction indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 4 (s9).

When the lower fan 18 starts rotating, as shown in FIG.
As indicated by the solid line B, part of the room air is sucked in through the suction port 3 and comes into contact with the divided portion 15b of the heat exchanger 15,
After the temperature rises, it is blown out from the lower outlet 6.

At this time, a part C of the air flow blown out from the lower outlet 6 is guided to the guide passage 14 formed by the louver 10 and the lower fan nose 13 as shown in FIGS. Flowing along. The air flow C flowing along the guide path 14 is guided to the front surface of the suction port 3 and is again guided to the suction port 3.
Is sucked in from and comes into contact with the divided portion 15b of the heat exchanger 15, is reheated, and is then blown out from the lower outlet 6.
In this way, part C of the air flow blown out from the lower outlet 6 passes through the short circuit that directly recirculates to the inlet 3, and is reheated by the divided portion 15b of the heat exchanger 15, so that after all, Even at the beginning of the heating operation, sufficiently high temperature air is blown out from the lower outlet 6.

Next, when the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 exceeds the fourth level, control is performed to slightly reduce the rotation speed of the lower fan 18, and as shown in FIG. 1, the air volume of the lower outlet 6 is reduced. The rotation angle of the louvers 9 and 10 is set to the position where the maximum is (single flow) (s10). Then, in the above state, control is performed to gradually increase the rotation speed of the upper and lower fans 17 and 18 (s1
1), shift to steady operation.

As described above, a short circuit is formed in which a part C of the air flow blown out from the lower outlet 6 at the start of the heating operation is directly returned to the inlet 3, and the air flow passing through this short circuit is formed. Since the heat exchanger 15 is reheated by the heat exchanger 15, it is possible to blow out a sufficiently high temperature air from the lower outlet 6 from the beginning at the time of starting the heating operation, so that a feeling of air flow that tends to occur at the start of the heating operation can be obtained. Can be relaxed.

Further, since the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 can be maintained at a high temperature by the formation of a short circuit at the start of the heating operation, the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 can be kept lower as the rotation speed of the upper and lower fans 17, 18 increases. You can suppress the descending width,
The start-up time of heating operation can also be shortened. Further, since the blowing method from the upper side and the lower side is adopted, it is possible to suppress the warm air blown from the lower blowing port 6 from rising due to the buoyancy by the air flow blown from the upper blowing port 5. Therefore, the temperature at the feet can be quickly raised.

Next, the control operation will be described with reference to FIG. 6 in the case where the refrigerant flowing in the heat exchanger 15 flows in the path from the upper side to the lower side as shown by the broken line arrow 22 in FIG.

When the heating operation mode is selected, the switching valve is switched to the heating operation mode. When the operation start command is given, the compressor installed in the outdoor unit is started.
(s21), the refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor flows through the heat exchanger 15 in a path from the lower side to the upper side as indicated by the broken line arrow 22 in FIG. In the initial stage of startup, the temperature of the refrigerant gas flowing through the heat exchanger 15 is low but gradually rises.

When the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 exceeds the first level (different from the first level described in FIG. 5, the same applies hereinafter) (s22), the louver 9 provided at the lower outlet 6
The rotation angle of 10 is set to a value that forms a short circuit (s23). At this time, the louver 7 provided on the upper outlet 5 is set to a rotation angle that closes the upper outlet 5. Next, the lower fan 18 starts rotating (s24)
.

Next, the upper outlet 5 is opened, the upper fan 17 is started to rotate (s25), and the rotational speed of the upper fan 17 is gradually increased (26). Next, the heat exchanger 15
When the temperature of exceeds the second level, control is performed to slightly reduce the rotation speed of the lower fan 18, and as shown in FIG.
The louvers 9 and 1 are located at the position where the air volume of the lower outlet 6 is maximum.
The turning angle of 0 is set (s27). And in the above state,
Control for gradually increasing the rotation speeds of the upper and lower fans 17, 18 is performed (s28), and the operation shifts to steady operation.

Therefore, also in this case, a short circuit for directly returning a part of the air flow blown from the lower outlet 6 to the intake 3 at the start of the heating operation is formed and passed through this short circuit. Since the airflow is reheated by the heat exchanger 15, it is possible to blow out a sufficiently high temperature air from the lower outlet 6 from the beginning at the time of heating operation start, and the airflow feeling that tends to occur at the time of heating operation start. Can be alleviated. Further, since the temperature of the heat exchanger 15 can be kept high by forming a short circuit at the start of the heating operation, the width of decrease in the temperature of the heat exchanger due to the increase in the rotation speed of the upper and lower fans 17, 18 is suppressed. It is also possible to shorten the rise time of the heating operation. Further, since the blowing method from the upper side and the lower side is adopted, it is possible to suppress the warm air blown from the lower blowing port 6 from rising due to the buoyancy by the air flow blown from the upper blowing port 5. You can
The temperature at the feet can be quickly raised.

[0036]

As described above, according to the air conditioner and the method for starting the same according to the present invention, it is possible to blow out a sufficiently high temperature air from the lower side blowout from the beginning of the heating operation. It is possible to alleviate the feeling of air flow that tends to occur at the start of heating operation, and to shorten the heating start-up time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an indoor unit incorporated in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Enlarged view of the lower outlet of the indoor unit

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the flow direction of the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger in the indoor unit during the heating operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a path of an air flow that flows through the indoor unit when the heating operation is started.

FIG. 5 is a diagram sequentially showing an example of a control operation at the start of heating operation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram sequentially showing another example of the control operation at the time of starting the heating operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Indoor unit 2 ... Housing 3 ... Suction port 4 ... Filter 5 ... Upper air outlet 6 ... Lower air outlet 7, 9, 10 ... Louver 13 that changes the air outlet direction ... Lower fan nose 14 ... For short circuit formation Guide path 15 ... Heat exchanger 16 ... Upper fan nose 17 ... Upper fan 18 ... Lower fan 19, 20 ... Fan casing A, B ... Suction air flow C ... Short circuit air flow

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Tetsuya Koido 8 Shinsita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, Ltd. Inside Toshiba Living Space Systems Technology Research Institute (72) Inventor Takeshi Mishima 8-shin-Sugita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa (72) Inventor Yukinobu Takahashi 8th Shinsugita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An inlet for sucking indoor air, an upper outlet and a lower outlet for blowing indoor air sucked through the inlet from a position above and below the inlet, respectively. An upper fan provided between the inlet and the upper outlet, a lower fan provided between the inlet and the lower outlet, the inlet, the upper fan, and the lower In an air conditioner including an indoor unit including a heat exchanger provided between a side fan and the side fan, the air conditioner is rotatably provided at each of the upper outlet and the lower outlet of the indoor unit. Louvers that respectively change the direction of the air flow blown from the upper outlet and the lower outlet, and a predetermined period from the time when the temperature of the heat exchanger reaches a predetermined temperature at the start of heating operation. Rotation of the louver provided at the lower outlet so as to form a short circuit for directly returning a part of the air flow blown from the lower outlet to the inlet. An air conditioner comprising a start control means for setting a corner. 2. The start-up control means controls the louver provided in the lower outlet at a rotation angle forming the short circuit when the temperature of the heat exchanger reaches a first level. When the temperature of the heat exchanger reaches a second level that is higher than the first level, the lower outlet blows to a turning angle that makes the airflow blown from the lower outlet a single flow. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the louver provided at the mouth is controlled. 3. An inlet for sucking indoor air, an upper outlet and a lower outlet for blowing indoor air sucked through the inlet from a position above and below the inlet, respectively. An upper fan provided between the inlet and the upper outlet, a lower fan provided between the inlet and the lower outlet, the inlet, the upper fan, and the lower A heat exchanger provided between the upper side outlet and the lower side outlet, and a heat exchanger provided between the upper side outlet and the lower side outlet to rotatably install the upper side outlet and the lower side outlet. When starting an air conditioner including an indoor unit that includes a louver that changes the direction, and in which the refrigerant flows in a path from the lower side to the upper side in the heat exchanger during heating operation. Rotation initiates the upper fan and sets the rotation angle of the louver provided in the upper air outlet in a predetermined,
When the temperature of the heat exchanger reaches a predetermined level, a lower circuit is formed so that a short circuit for directly returning a part of the air flow blown from the lower outlet to the suction port is formed. A method for starting an air conditioner, comprising: setting a rotation angle of a louver provided at a mouth and starting rotation of the lower fan. 4. An inlet for sucking indoor air, an upper outlet and a lower outlet for blowing indoor air sucked through the inlet from a position above and below the inlet, respectively. An upper fan provided between the inlet and the upper outlet, a lower fan provided between the inlet and the lower outlet, the inlet, the upper fan and the lower A heat exchanger provided between the upper fan and the lower fan, and an air flow blown from the upper blower and the lower blower that are rotatably provided at the upper blower outlet and the lower blower outlet, respectively. When starting an air conditioner including an indoor unit that includes a louver that changes its direction, and in which the refrigerant flows in a path from the upper side to the lower side in the heat exchanger during heating operation. The rotation angle of the louver provided at the lower outlet is set so that a short circuit for directly returning a part of the air flow blown from the lower outlet to the inlet is formed. At the same time, the lower fan is started to rotate, and when the temperature of the heat exchanger exceeds a predetermined level, the rotation angle of the louver provided at the upper outlet is set to a predetermined value and the upper fan is started to rotate. A method for starting an air conditioner, comprising: